


Partner's In Crime

by dualitychan (Pagesandparagraphs)



Series: Track by Track: Cinematics [1]
Category: Set It Off (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Murder, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Carziger, Crimes & Criminals, Criminal AU, Dark fic, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, Gun Violence, Inspired by a Set it Off song, M/M, Murder, Partners in Crime, Song Inspired, bonnie and clyde - Freeform, bonnie and clyde au, cinematics, criminal cody, criminal maxx, loosely based off of the music video, track by track, viewer discretion is advised
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-19 10:16:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19354972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pagesandparagraphs/pseuds/dualitychan
Summary: No one actually knows either of their names, truthfully.The news just refers to them as the Killer King and his Killer Prince.No one knows which one is which. Not even them. Cody says he's the Prince, most days. Even if the news doesn't agree with him.It was originally a joke between them. Long before the crimes they committed, even before they actually ever resorted to murder. They didn't mean to make it their aliases. It's a bit deceiving for even two friends, let alone the reality of a secret organization. Then again, what better way to keep a secret than a deceiving name?They've been deemed selfish and cruel. "They don't care about anything but money, about anyone but themselves. It's a wonder there hasn't been a falling out." But that isn't entirely true. Though, how the hell would they know what?You don't really know how much you care about someone until they almost die on you, huh?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> guess who's backkkkk?  
> (I wouldn't take the warnings lightly, if I were you)

_"It appears there has been another robbery this week in downtown Orlando._

_According to officials, it appears this is the third robbery committed by the Killer King and the Killer Prince in the past few weeks. There are still no official pictures of the duo, and police are asking anyone who knows about their appearance or of their whereabouts to come and speak to them at the police station. The only indicator of the criminals was the logo scrawled on the wall. When asked about the possibility of a copycat criminal, the police declined for comment.  
_

_25 people have been confirmed dead, with 6 people still left unaccounted for. Most of the security cameras were destroyed, the remaining cameras deactivated. It's still unknown how much was stolen. Officials estimate around $300,000 worth in money and various items throughout the building. This number is still rising as bank accounts are accessed and damages are processed. We'll bring you further updates as the details become available to the public._

_It is unclear if the Killer King and the Killer Prince are going to remain in Orlando for much longer. On record, they don't typically seem to stay in a place for longer than 2 weeks. But to stay on the safe side, please proceed with caution in the downtown area. Report any suspicious characters and stay alert. Citizens are advised not to enter downtown past 8pm other than for work purposes. Keep your personal belongings close to you and try not to carry too many valuables with you._

_May the victims rest in peace, and may their families find justice._

_They may have played this game for a few years now, but one day they will slip up. We will all receive justice in due time. Let's just keep hope that it'll be sooner rather than later._

_John-"_


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the travel chapter

“Is the logo actually necessary?”

 

I shrug, rolling my shoulders. “Probably not,” I reply, “but it’s fun to do.”

“It’s like putting a watermark on a picture,” Maxx says. “Doesn’t mean you’re actually gonna find the person, especially if they change marks, but it still says you did it.”

“Isn’t the whole point not to have anyone know we did it?” Zach asks.

I roll my eyes. “The point is to not get caught.” I get up and make my way over to the fridge. “Am I just supposed to let some little criminal take credit for  _ my _ work?”

Maxx snorts. Zach just shakes his head. “If I didn’t know you could kill me, I’d beat your ass.”

“Oh come on, I wouldn’t kill you.”

When I turn back to him, his eyebrows are raised. “Do you even hear yourself?”

Rolling my eyebrows again, I reply, “I’m not that much of a dick, and besides-” I take a sip of my drink. “-I said I  _ wouldn’t _ kill you. Not that I  _ couldn’t _ . I said I  _ wouldn’t _ . There’s a difference.”

“Clearly.”

I stick my tongue out at him and he laughs, flipping me off in response. I grin. As I sit back down on the couch, Maxx asks, “Has anyone seen the others?”

“Dan went to get groceries before we go,” I reply. “Dunno where Austin went off to.”

“He told me we were low on bandages and other supplies,” Zach says.

I wince. “Yeah, tell me about it.” I roll my shoulder again. “Still don’t know what the hell I did to this.”

Maxx runs his fingers along my shoulder blade. “Probably bruised it, dumbass.” I can hear the fondness in his voice and I snort.

“No shit, Sherlock.” I jokingly grab his hand. “I’m just saying I don’t know if that’s all I did to it.”

“Well clearly you can move it,” Zach jokes. I flip him off with my free hand.

He ends up calling it a night early, heading off to his room next door. I check the clock. Pretty early to go to bed; it’s only 10. Then again, I don’t know who’s gonna be first driver and we head out at 5.

I stay with Maxx until he decides he’s gonna call it a night too. I’m put on watch duty. At least one of us as to make sure everyone makes it back without anyone on their tail. You can never be too careful with these things. Part of the reason Maxx and I aren’t the ones who go out a whole hell of a lot to do the mundane things. Go out just enough so we appear normal, but no more, no less. Can’t risk anything.

Dan gets back around 11:45. He checks in with me before heading to his room with Zach. Austin doesn’t report to me, annoyingly, but I can hear him grumbling under his breath. He’s not very good at keeping quiet. And I’m right next to the door. He always insists on getting his own room and it’s starting to bug me. Figuring out a way to confront him without putting us all in jeopardy, however, isn’t something I want to mess with right now. As long as he does what he’s supposed to I can live with it.

Just to be sure, I go out and check. I knock on his door and am promptly received by some swearing. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. Balling my hands into fists, I force my face into a smile before I wish him goodnight. I walk rigidly back to my room, attempting to close the door as lightly as possible.

Around 2:30AM, I hear Maxx shifting more than normal. I glance over at him. He’s rolled on his side and his eyes are open. Barely, but they’re open.

“You probably don’t need to get up for at least another hour,” I murmur.

“Why the fuck are you up?”

I sigh, staring back up at the ceiling. “Just can’t sleep, I guess.”

“Don’t you have your meds?” Maxx asks, his voice still rough.

“Ran out a few days ago,” I reply. “Figured I was wearing myself out enough that I’d be fine until we could get more.” I laugh softly. “That obviously turned out well.”

He huffs. “Dumbass.”

I figure that that’s the end of it, but then I hear him getting up. Before I can say anything, he lays down on top of me. I grunt, trying to push him off. He gets comfortable before relaxing.

“And the purpose of this is-?”

“So you don’t be a dumbass and drink coffee at 3AM,” He mumbles.

I snort. “If you want me to function properly-”

“-you can wait.”

I sigh. “I could easily throw you off of me, you know.”

Snorting, he replies, “You won’t and I know you when you’re tired. Empty threats don’t work.”

Giving in, I loosely wrap an arm around him. “Get some sleep, idiot.”

“I’d say the same for you.”

 

****

 

It’s Dan’s turn to drive first. Zach is supposed to watch me to make sure I don’t pass out at a bad time. This is one of the few times we actually drive one of our own cars out of state. Typically we rent cars; we have our own scattered under different names around the country. We normally keep them in the same-ish places so that we don’t attract too much attention in one vehicle (or if we do attract attention, they can’t trace us far).

Reason we’re taking one of our own cars this time is because we’re visiting Austin’s friend up north. Technically this is his car, but he rarely drives it. It’s for everyone’s sake. He gets the worst road rage out of all of us. But nonetheless, it’s his car and we’re taking it because he wanted to return it up there. Plan is for the rest of us to rent a car and go somewhere else, he stays there for a few days, then he flies out to meet us. Simple.

“Can we play some music?”

Dan glances at me in the rear view mirror. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

I groan. “So I can’t listen to music?”

“We don’t need you passing out, dude,” He replies. “But if you’re gonna pass out, rather you do it in here and not in public or on watch. Or god forbid, not on the job.”

To my surprise, Austin rigidly flips the radio on. “There.”

Dan gives him a fleeting look of surprise, trying not to keep his eyes off of the road for too long. Austin doesn’t respond. He just continues sitting quietly, typing on his laptop. I quietly say thank you and I get a hum in response. 

 

_ Is that his way of apologizing for being a dick last night? _

 

I don’t know when I pass out, but the next thing I know we’re stopped at a gas station. And considering Maxx just got into the driver’s seat, both Dan and Austin have already driven their shifts.

Austin sits down next to me, tossing me a candy bar. I thank him, opening the wrapper. He shrugs. He just opens his laptop again. 

Maxx turns around, narrowing his eyes. “Everything alright with you, Austin?”

We both raise our eyebrows. “...why?” He asks.

“You haven’t said anything more than what you just did to anyone today.”

“He did say ‘there’ earlier,” I point out. Maxx glares at me and I wince.

Austin’s expression flickers for a moment. “I’ve just been a little ill, that’s all,” He grumbles. “Not really in the mood to be in a car for this long.”

“You’re sick?” I ask. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

He sighs. “It’s not a big deal. Just a little under the weather. Nothing major.”

“I’d like to debate it is,” Maxx says. “Just like how we can’t have Cody passing out on us, we have to be at the top of our game as much as possible. We need to know these things, Aus-“

“I said it’s fine,” He snaps. “It’s not like I’m gonna die tomorrow or something.”

Maxx chews on his lip. He’s silent for a moment. Then, turning back around, he says, “Well...at least you told us now.”

Austin glares at the back of his head. Before anyone else can say anything, Dan and Zach come back. Zach sits up in the front with Maxx; Dan sits back with us. None of us mentions to conversation to them. We just need to survive this damn car ride.

“Anything I can do to help?” I ask quietly. I smile dryly. “ _ Besides _ just shutting the fuck up?”

He starts to answer, but then Zach loudly asks, “Did we designate anyone to watch Cody while I’m driving?”

“I’ll do it,” Austin says. I raise my eyebrows at him. He glances fleetingly at me and shrugs.

Zach is silent for a moment. “...okay. Good.”

Everyone kinda settles in again and I suspect that Austin forgot my question. Not wanting to annoy him further, I just try to get into a comfortable position and try to sleep a little. Then I feel a light tap on my knee. I open my eyes again.

Austin smiles slightly. “Do you have something to drink?” He asks. I blink. After a moment, I lean down and grab one of my water bottles from my bag. I lightly toss it to him.

He nods curtly. “Thank you.”

I shrug. “Least I can do.”

He snorts, opening the water bottle. He takes a small sip before putting it in a cup holder nearby. I watch him for a moment. He doesn’t seem to need anything else, so it’s probably better if I left him alone.

“Yeah-“ Austin clears his throat. “-HEY CODY.”

My eyes snap open. I stare at Austin and he snickers. “Yeah, he didn’t pass out. Just sleeping.”

I groan, rubbing my eyes. “There really wasn’t any other way to check?”

Austin grins. “Nope.”

“It’s your turn to drive, Cody,” Zach explains. I sigh, slowly getting up from my seat.

Once I get into the driver’s seat, I jokingly ask, “Anyone want to be blessed with the opportunity to come sit up with me?” 

“I’ll bite.”

Austin gets into the passenger seat, taking another sip from his water bottle. I stare at him for a quick moment before shrugging, buckling my seatbelt. Dunno why he’s engaging so much all of a sudden. I don’t entirely mind, he’s not really being a dick, but still. Not normal for him.  _ Especially _ when he’s sick.

 

At least he’s not an annoying backseat driver.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh, would you look at that

We get there around 6:45PM.

 

Austin is in charge of booking hotel rooms. I lounge in one of the lobby chairs, opening my phone. I start to ask a question out loud, but then decide against it.

[How much money should I transfer to my account?] I text Maxx.

[How much have you transferred already?]

[Of the most recent run? Nothing. Still on the last run]

[Do you have it set to automatically transfer an amount?]

[...no]

Maxx snickers. I flip him off across the room and he returns the gesture. I shake my head, chuckling.

[What amount should I start at though?] I ask.

[Hm, maybe $600 a week?]

[Oh god, that’s gonna take forever]

Maxx laughs. [You can still put big amounts in, stupid. It just looks more like you’re getting a paycheck so it’s less suspicious.]

[Can I get a raise in a week or two?]

[Sure, I don’t care lmao just don’t get too suspicious]

[Noted]

“Anyone want their room keys?” Austin asks. I automatically raise my hand, not looking up from my phone. A moment later I feel the keys hit my hand and I close my fingers around them.

“Who’s got who?” Dan asks.

“Regular rooms,” Austin replies. He snorts. “Unless anyone would like to be alone.”

_ He didn’t say ‘room with me’, he said ‘room alone’... _ I feel a twinge of guilt. He’s probably been catching on. Guess we weren’t subtle about it.

“I can room with you, if you want,” I offer, glancing up. I can see Maxx snap his head up out of the corner of my eye.

Austin drops his jaw for a moment. Then he immediately snaps it shut again, clearing his throat. “Uh, I mean...I mean..I guess so?”

“Guess I’m the one rooming alone?” Maxx asks sweetly, adding a slight bitter edge to his voice. I wince.

“I mean, unless anyone else wants to room with you.”

Maxx doesn’t give them a chance to answer. “I’ll go alone.”

Austin nods, tossing him a room key. Maxx catches it rigidly. He gets up, yanking his luggage slightly as he walks off. I stare after him.

“Did he do something wrong?” Austin asks as we walk to our room. I furrow my eyebrows.

“No-?”

“Then why did you wanna room with me?”

I open my mouth to answer, then close it again. I don’t think there really...was a reason. A “thank you” back? Pity? Wanting to just change things up a little?

Slowly, I reply, “Dunno. Just wanted to switch things up.” I nudge him playfully. “Figured you get lonely sometimes. Wanted to include you.”

He smiles coldly. “Appreciate it.”

As I’m opening the door, he asks the question again. This time, he really puts emphasis on asking if Maxx did anything. I laugh slightly, dragging my bag in.

“Is that the only way you can comprehend me wanting to room with you?”

He stops. “I mean, I guess if you were  _ really _ annoyed  _ you _ would have been the one to room alone.” 

I roll my eyes. “You’re dead-set on thinking no one wants to be around you, huh,” I say. I shrug. “I just chose to. It’s not that deep.”

“But you  _ always _ room with Maxx,” He points out. “You’re lucky I didn’t give you the couple’s suite.”

I choke on my saliva. “Why would...why...why would you get-?”

Austin huffs, snickering. “Don’t tell me you guys don’t act like you bang every once in a while.”

Cheeks burning, I mumble, “You know it’s not like that-“

“It was a joke, Cody.” He lightly punches me on the arm. “Though your reaction intrigues me.”

He laughs as he goes into the bathroom. “Maybe I should get you the couple’s suite next time.”

“ _ Don’t you dare _ ,” I yell. He laughs again, louder this time.

I shake my head, going back to unpacking. My hands shake a bit as I try to unzip part of my suitcase. I curse. I don’t like anyone bringing up the whole dating thing. Rough subject.

Then again, I’m not sure he actually knows that.

 

The next morning, we head into downtown to meet up with Austin’s friend. Maxx is still talking to me, at least. I can tell he’s still a bit annoyed about it though. Not quite sure why, since I didn’t make him room with Austin, but I don’t ask. Not a fight I wanna pick right now.

This particular friend hasn’t met us before. He recognizes him from a distance. Austin jogs over to him, grinning. He pulls the guy into a tight hug. I raise an eyebrow. 

Before I can make a comment, Austin comes back with the guy. “Scott, these are the motherfuckers I was talking about,” He says. Scott snorts. “That’s Cody, Maxx, Dan, and Zach.” He points at each one of us as he names us off.

Scott grins at us. “Nice to meet you guys.”

“So what the hell are we doing, anyway?” Zach asks.

Scott giggles. “Figured we’d just wander around for a while before getting lunch,” He replies. “‘S what Austin and I normally do.”

Again, I raise an eyebrow at him. He glares at me. “Sounds like a plan,” Dan says. “Are we splitting up or are we going as a group?”

“We can split up,” Scott says. He smiles sheepishly. “I’d kinda like to talk to Austin alone for a bit.”

“Sounds good,” I reply. “I’ll go with Maxx-“

“Oh, joy.” I glare at Maxx and he glares right back.

Rolling my eyes, I continue, “So unless Dan and Zach wanna tag along, I guess we’re in groups of 2?”

Zach nods. “I’m cool with that.”

Grinning, Austin says, “Good. See y’all in a few hours.”

As we walk off, I nudge Maxx. “Quit acting petty.”

He huffs. “I think I’ve earned the right.”

I shake my head as we walk into a random store. “I don’t know why you’d get so worked up over room choice. When I roomed with Zach this wasn’t an issue-“

“Austin and Zach are two completely different people,” Maxx says darkly.

“Don’t act like Austin is somehow worse than the rest of us.”

Maxx raises his eyebrows, staring at me. “You’re gonna pretend he’s not?”

I sigh. “Yeah, he can be a bit of an asshole,” I admit, “but literally all of us can be. He’s still a part of the team, Maxx.”

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Without looking at me, he flips through some random shirts. Sighing, I come up behind him, loosely wrapping my arms around his waist. He grunts.

“Is that somehow supposed to make me less annoyed?”

I shrug. “Kinda. Kinda makes me feel better too.”

He laughs, shaking his head. After a few moments, he takes one of my hands in his. I grin. He continues flipping through with his free hand, though I sometimes have to reach over and help him. Eventually, he starts to relax, resting against me.

We get so distracted looking at shops that we almost forget that we’re supposed to be meeting up with the rest of the guys. I check the time. We have about 20 minutes to find our way back.

“I think it was this way?” Maxx points down the street. “At least I’m pretty sure.”

I snort. “Well let’s hope you’re right,” I reply. “Wouldn’t wanna be late.”

He punches me on the arm and I snicker. We start to make our way back, trying not to get distracted again. Which is a lot easier said than done.

In the end, we show up 10 minutes late. But we’re not the last group to show up, so I guess it works out. 

 

Ironically, Austin and Scott are the last ones to show up. Scott sheepishly explains that his card had gotten declined while shopping so it took them longer than expected. Austin attempts not to snicker behind him. He fails.

Scott playfully glares at him. “Anyways,” He says, “y’all ready to get lunch?”

Everyone except Austin nods. “I’ll meet you guys there,” He says. “You’re just going to the cafe right across the street, right?”

“Yeah,” Scott says, frowning, “but why aren’t you coming with?”

“I will, I will,” Austin reassures him. “I just wanna throw some coins into the fountain.”

We snicker and Austin flips us off. Scott giggles. “Alright, we’ll meet up with you, okay?”

“Okay.”

We all start walking to the cafe, leaving Austin behind. I glance back at him. “Should someone stay with him?” I ask.

Maxx’s face darkens. Scott shrugs. “I mean, it’s just a fountain,” He says. “He can stand at a fountain himself.”

My cheeks turn red. “I know, but…” I chew on my lip. “I’ve just had this sinking feeling since this morning and he  _ is _ sick and everything-“

“He’s sick?” Dan asks. “Why weren’t we told about this?”

Maxx and I wince. “We forgot,” We reply in unison. I glance at Maxx and he quickly looks away. I roll my eyes. Petty fucker.

“What do you mean by sinking feeling?” Scott asks. I shrug.

“Dunno,” I mumble. “Just worried, that’s all.”

“He’ll be fine,” He reassures me. He puts a hand on my shoulder. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

I nod hesitantly. Dan and Zach seem a bit uneasy now too, but I technically don’t have proof. I’m probably just getting anxious again. Sometimes happens when we switch locations after a crime.

Zach is chosen to order while we find a table. We end up finding an empty table in the middle of the cafe. I sit down next to Maxx, who merely hums in greeting. I sigh. I dunno what his problem is, but he either needs to talk about it or suck it up. I don’t like playing the petty game.

We get into a bit of a conversation about traveling and Austin’s friendship with Scott before we hear a sharp gasp from the front of the cafe. We glance up and see a petrified woman staring out the window, her face pale. Before we can react, gunshots ring out from the plaza. My blood runs cold.

 

I glance at the others. They seem just as bewildered as me. I thought we left our guns in the trunk?

Bolting upright, I sprint over to the window as the screams start. I look out the window and freeze. The wind gets knocked out of my lungs and my heart skips a beat. After a moment, I realize that I’ve started to scream too.

 

While the gunman is still going, there, lying in the street, is Austin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my hand slipped


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> " A u s t i n ' s F i n a l B o w "

_ I sit at the edge of the fountain for a minute,  _

_ running my hand through the water. _

_ I’ve missed this place. _

_ It’s nice to be somewhere familiar again. _

_ It almost feels normal again. _

 

_ As I’m taking my hand out of the water, I hear shouting. _

_ I glance up. _

_ There’s a man standing there, screaming incoherently. _

_ It seems like he’s screaming at the girl in front of him _

_ I wonder what she did _

_ Or if she even did anything at all _

 

_ With a jolt I notice the holster on his belt _

_ Revealed only when he moves his jacket _

_ I jump off of the fountain, starting to make my way over _

_ I may not know this girl, and I may have committed crimes _

_ That I can never ask for forgiveness for _

_ But this has nothing to do with that _

 

_ I realize that they’re speaking in a language I don’t understand _

_ I still don’t know what’s going on _

_ The man starts to advance, putting his hand on the hidden holster _

_ My adrenaline kicks in _

_ I pick up my pace, sprinting over there. _

 

_ I come in between them, shielding her. _

_ I ask him what the hell is going on _

_ Pure rage flashes in his eyes. _

_ My heart starts racing. I’ve never been in this situation before _

_ I’m all alone. _

 

_ I ask my question again _

_ Trying to feign confidence _

_ Pretend I’m not afraid _

_ Not let him think he has the upper hand _

_ Then I realize I’m not armed _

 

_ The woman starts to speak _

_ Crying, begging _

_ For what, I’m not sure _

_ But I can hear her sobs _

_ Crying for h- _

 

_ The next second his gun his drawn _

_ He’s fired _

_ I stumble backwards, coughing _

_ I grab my chest, grimacing _

_ My ears begin to ring. _

 

_ I feel more hits _

_ Knocking me to the ground _

_ They start to hurt less and less _

_ My head whirls _

_ My vision blurs _

 

_ I manage to glance up at him _

_ I try to get back up _

_ Through blurry vision I see him advance _

_ I realize tears are spilling down my cheeks _

_ He comes down close to me, getting in my face _

 

_ My eyes widen _

_ I think I start to scream again _

_ All I know is he pushes the gun against my heart. _

_ Oh god I think- _

 

**_Bang_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> isn't it funny how one little event can get the ball rolling?

**Author's Note:**

> I know music videos can only be so much, but I feel like the video didn't do the song justice so. Here we are. This is the first time I've attempted a full fledged dark fic so this is a bit of a shot in the dark. I also haven't written long-form fanfiction in god, almost two years? My other pseud is pagesandparagraphs, if you don't recognize this one. I'll be alternating between posting here and posting there (though that one is my main one).  
> I'd also like to disclose that this is FICTION. I mean no harm to the real people involved. All of this is made up. The ship is not real. None of this is real. If any of them so ask me to, I will take this down because I, you know, respect that they're human beings that may not be okay with this. Just to clarify.


End file.
